Twitter's biggest challenge, a major acquisition, the rise of the platishers, Facebook click fraud - or not, Facebook "truthers," the dark horse social network, WeChat is taking on too much, finding your marketing moral compass, the IAB's measurement and big data announcements, how to make audio go viral, the return to anonmity and more, it's This Week in Digital.

A roundup of relevant links affecting our industry.

Each week, I compose a newsletter that includes a series of links about current events and trends in the worlds of technology, social media, mobile, digital communications and marketing in order to keep leaders up to date on changes, newsworthy items and content that might be useful in their jobs.

If you have additional links, sources or ideas that might be helpful, I'd encourage you to add some via a comment below. And if you’re on Flipboard, you can get these links by subscribing to the This Week in Digital Magazine.

Industry

There's a subtle change going on in the industry as media companies and tech platforms are blurring lines more than ever before. Publishers offer technology that allows any user to create content and platform companies are hiring editors and content creators. It's the Rise of the Platishers. (re/code)

Lithium plans to acquire Klout. Analysts indicate that the social customer service company and the social influencer ranking company are a great fit in terms of data sharing and customer profiling. The $100M deal was all stock. (re/code)

A controversial video found its way onto the front page of reddit this week. Its premise: that fake Facebook Page likes are fraudulently, causing some to buy more ads. At issue: spam bots and like farms. (Veritasium, The Next Web)

A clever analysis debunked most of this myth however, noting that the potential fraud was likely to occur when buying page likes, adding, "if you buy Facebook ads like it's 2012, you deserve the results you get." (Jon Loomer)

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has released a new definition of advertising engagement (Defining and Measuring Digital Ad Engagement in a Cross-Platform World), indicating that it is a complex measurement, critical for core metrics, the need for industry benchmarks of performance, the dependence on creative as well as platform, that it encompasses more than physical interaction, and that social media is more than a single form of engagement. (IAB)

Speaking of engagement, a number of publishers revealed their January numbers on Facebook, and Buzzfeed topped the list. (AllFacebook)

Content

Humor in content is a great idea (if you can pull it off). But humor in B2B content? When done right, it's an amazing combination. (Ann Handley)

Bookmark / Read / Watch Later

It's an old article, but one worth reading just the same, as it pinpoints a type of myopia that affects virtually everyone who's a communicator, marketer or otherwise a storyteller: The Pitfalls of NASCAR Blindness. (AdWeek)

Commentary

Will anonymity kill the web? Or will the web kill anonymity?

The latest trend online appears to be apps that let users post anonymously. We all remember the classic New Yorker cartoon, "On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog." With the advent of the social web, our interactions have largely been tied to our online personae, save the likes of message boards or other sites designed to mask identities.

Even Google's recent merging of YouTube IDs with Google+ accounts has been a move to cut down on the insipid, inane and even hateful comments on the video sharing site, by tying actual identities to users. The idea is that when you're clearly identifiable, you're less likely to be hurtful.

So, imagine the surprise when we discovered that Facebook is about to let you go anonymous for the first time. This is counter to their established position that identity and integrity go hand in hand. But with the rise of popular apps such as Secret and Whisper, it's no surprise to see Facebook turning this way. After all, they've adopted hashtags and trending topics to mimic Twitter; they established direct messages within Instagram to combat Snapchat - of course after being turned down to the tune of $3 billion. Still, it seems a bit of a stretch for Facebook to give up on one of its core values simply to allow people to do more without being easily identified.

But the relative freedom to say whatever you feel may have a price. Whether it's the appearance of trolls or the audience's own lack of tolerance for outlandish statements, it may be a short-lived effort. If anything, the increase in digital communication has proven that logging out and enjoying real face-to-face conversations are more valuable than anything.

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Welcome

Hi, I'm Scott. I consult, advise and speak on strategy, communications, marketing, leadership, digital transformation and changes in the industry that impact them. If you'd like to know how we can work together, please contact me.